Display cabinet for confections



Aug. 5,' 1958 H. J. FITZGERALD 4 DISPLAY CABINET FOR CONFECTIONS- Filed April 19 1956 Q 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR QJZMMM.

ATTORNEY DISPLAY cAntNnT non CONFECTIONS Harold J. Fitzgerald, Milwaukee, Wis, assignor to Superdisplay, Inc., Milwaukee, Wis, a corporation of Wisconsm Application April 19, 1956, Serial No. 579,227

I 2 Claims. (Cl. 312119) This invention relates to display cabinets particularly adapted for the sale of confections and the like, wherein the commodity sold comprises. adiverse range of selection of small packaged items, and it more specifically includes an upwardly and. rearwardly inclined display area that is a. minor portion of the cabinet to provide storage of the goods to the rear of the display area, and in which there maybe provided, at the top of the display area, a service counter overhanging the display area to support illuminatingimeans for advantageous display of the wares shown.

With the advent of increasing display and sales of confections in theatre lobbies, and like areas, it is desirable to have display cabinets that effectively present. maximum variations. of goods in a mass array to prospective purchasers, and also provide ample storage in a limited space to supply a substantial sales volume- For the display of the. goods in an area that becomes crowded with patrons in. certain intervals, such as intermissions,. and periods immediately before and after entertainment programs, it is further desirable that the goods be readily observed by a customer to the immediate front of the. cabinet, as well as to a party standing at a more remote distance in periods of less crowding. In the present invention a cabinet is provided that has a display area at the front comprising tiered shelves each disposed above and to the rear of the immediate lower shelf. The shelves are of shallow depth and confections may be displayed in mass number, to provide a ready selection from an ample variety, in a manner forease of observance from a position close by, or at a distance. To enhance the display, illumination is disposed at the front and at a level no greater than the top of the cabinet which. is of a height to permit service over the top thereof.

A transparent panel, forming a top of the cabinet, extends rearwardly of the illumination source to provide a service counter which does not impair the view of displayed merchandise. Such transparent counter top protects a sloping transparent covering for the. display area from dirt and debris that might otherwise fall thereon as transactions are carried out over the counter top. Since the horizontal top may be transparent, an attendant at the rear will have a clear unimpaired view of the merchandise to observe selections of those standing close to the front of the cabinet.

It is an. object of this invention to provide a display cabinet for advantageously displaying merchandise in tiered array.

It is another object of this invention to provide a display cabinet in which a large supply of merchandise may be stored directly behind a display area to have a sufficient amount to satisfy sales requirements.

It is another object of this invention to provide a display cabinet in which goods displayed are directly behind a transparent front to provide the illusion that the goods are accessible to the touch.

It is another object of this invention to provide a display cabinet having a counter of service height across if States Patent 2,846,284 Patented Aug. 5, 1958 which servicemay be made while not impairing the View ofthe merchandise displayed.

It is another object of this; invention to provide a display cabinet with a service top that may be readily replaced upon showing signs of wear from transacting purchases over the top of the cabinet.

It is another object. of this invention to provide a dis.- play cabinet inv which an attendant to the rear of the cabinet. may readily observe selections of merchandise made by customers at the front of the cabinet.

It is another object of this-invention to provide a display cabinet to be serviced by an attendant at the rear having storage compartments that make most efiective use of available storage space and which, when fully opened, provide ready access thereto.

These and other objects. and advantages of this invention will appear from, the description to follow. In the description reference is made to. the accompanying drawings, in which there is shown by way of illustration and not of limitation, a specificform in which the invention may be embodied.

Referring now to the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a side view in elevation andin section of a display cabinet embodying the invention,

Fig. 2' is a frontview in elevationof the cabinet with parts broken away and in section,

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary view in section taken on the plane 33 shown in Fig. 1,.and

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary side view in elevation and in section of a portion of the cabinet shown in an enlarged scale.

Referring .now. to the drawings, a front baseboard 1 and a rear baseboard 2 areshown which form a foundation for the cabinet. The front. baseboard 1 turns forwardly to present a horizontal ledge 3 from which rises a front wall 4. A piano hinge 5 that mounts a service door 6 is secured to the top edge of the wall 4. The door 6v swings forwardly, as shown in Fig. 1, to provide access to the front of the cabinet for permitting arrangement of wares to be displayed. The door 6 comprises a transparent glass 7 mounted in a frame 8 extending across the full frontxof the cabinet. A handle 9 is provided for operation of the door 6.

Directly behind the'door 6 is an upwardly and rearwardly inclined perforate partition ltl'from which extends a plurality of shelves .11 of shallow depth. The

shelves 11 are mounted by means of pins 12 inserted through the. perforations .of the partition 10, and may readily be rearrangedv into. positions most suitable for the wares to be displayed.

Forming. an upward. continuation of the door 6, when closed, is an inclined panel 13 that extends to the top of the. cabinet. Appropriate brackets 14' are secured to the panel 13 to afford means of retaining additional wares on display. A pair of side walls, one of which is designated by the numeral 15' in Fig. 2 and the other by the numeral 16 in Fig; 1, extend rearwardly from the side edges of the baseboard 1, wall 4, door 6 and panel 13., and have front. edges matching the respective inclines of these elements forming the front of the cabinet. The after edge of each side wall 15, 16 is a vertical continuation of the rear baseboard 2 The upper portions of each wall 15, 16 include a forwardly extending arm 17 overhanging the inclined front edge that juts outwardly to a point approximately above the front wall 4. The top of each arm 17 is horizontal and is formed with an inwardly facing channel 18, as shown in Fig. 3.

Mounted in and extending between the channels 18 is a transparent sheet 19 that forms a counter top for the cabinet. The forward edge of the top 19 is slightly open rear of the cabinet.

to the rear of the forward end of the arms 17, and to the front of the top 19 is an opaque plate 20 beneath which is housed illuminating means that are shown to be in the form of fluorescent fixtures 21. Immediately to the front of the fixtures 21 is a translucent screen 22 that may carry advertising indicia, and which masks the fixtures 21 from parties standing to the front of the cabinet. The arms 17 mask the fixtures 21 from a view of either side of the cabinet, and the fixtures 21 are thus able to directly illuminate the wares on display to the greatest advantage without detracting from cabinet appearance. To complete the assembly at the forward ends of the arms 17 a screen 23 is placed to the rear of the fixtures 21 to shield an attendant at the rear of the cabinet from direct rays of the fixtures 21.

A lintel 24, at the back of the cabinet, extends between the upper limits of the side walls 15, 16 to lend support to the transparent top 19. The rear edges of the walls 15, 16 are turned inwardly at 25 to lend rigidity, and with the lintel 24 and baseboard 2 define a service opening at the rear of the cabinet. Three shelves 26, 27 and 28 are disposed directly behind the perforate partition 10 and are accessible from the The shelves increase in width as they descend, in a manner complementary to the incline of the partition 10. Thus, maximum utilization is made of available storage space.

A set of four drawers 29, 30, 31 and 32 reside beneath the shelves 26-28, and are adapted to be drawn rearwardly from the opening at the cabinet rear to gain access thereto. The uppermost drawer 29 is located behind the inclined partition 10 and is, consequently, not as wide as the others. The next lower drawer 30 is wider due to the forward incline of the partition 10, and the lowermost drawers 31 and 32 are of greatest width since they are located behind the vertical front wall 4. A pair of slides 33, secured to the inside of the side walls 15, 16, are provided for each drawer 29-32 and drawer stops 34 are mounted on the slides 33. Projections 35, on the drawers 29-32, engage the stops 34, when a drawer is drawn rearwardly, to limit the extent of drawer travel. As seen in Fig. l, the projections 35 are disposed in such fashion that upon drawing the drawers outward, to the rear, they will assume positions in which each drawer is less extended than the one immediately below. This construction insures that whenever an attendant draws out a drawer he is certain to have access thereto, and his ability to quickly serve customers is facilitated. The varying widths of the drawers 29-32 lend themselves to this form of construction.

As is most clearly shown in Fig. 4, a tube 36 is fastened to the rear edge of each side wall 15, 16, which has an upper neck portion 37 of smaller cross section than the lower part 38. A vertically slidable rod 39 is inserted in each tube 36, which may be moved upwardly to extend from the associated tube 36, or retracted within the tube 36, in telescope-like fashion. The rods 39 may be extended upwardly to a considerable height to carry promotional displays above the top 19 without interference of servicing of customers over the top 19. To retain the rods 39 in elevated position a belled lower end 40 is provided that fits tightly with the taper 41 of the tube 36 formed at the junction of the neck portion 37 with the lower tube portion 38.

A cap 42 is threaded on the upper end of each rod 39, which is of a width greater than the opening of the tube 38, to limit the downward travel of the associated rod 39. The rods 39 and caps 42 normally prevent the counter top 19 from being moved rearwardly in the channels 18. However, if it is desired to replace or remove the counter top 19 the caps 42 are turned ofl' the rods 39, and the rods 39 are then lowered to fully expose the rear edge of the counter top 19. The counter top 19 may then he slid from out of the channels 18.

Since the top 19 serves as a counter top, it is subject to wear and scratching. Over a period of time, its appearance may become undesirable, and this is particularly true since it receives a great deal more wear than any other portion of the cabinet subject to a customers view. Consequently, provision is made for easy replacement and hence the life of the cabinet of this invention may be substantially increased, since cabinet life is largely a measure of pleasing appearance. Also, the top 19 may be removed in favor of an opaque panel or one of color to create desired eifects for particular events.

I claim:

1. In a display cabinet the combination comprising a forwardly facing inclined display area at the front of the cabinet for retaining and displaying merchandise; a counter top overhanging said inclined display area which has a pair of rails at the opposite sides thereof, guide means on each rail presenting upwardly facing supporting surfaces, a cross member between said rails at the front thereof, and a transparent panel received by the supporting surfaces of said guide means which extends rearwardly behind said cross member and which may be removed from the counter top by sliding movement to the rear; illuminating means mounted at the front of the counter top beneath said cross member which includes a front opaque light shield blocking direct light transmission to observers at the front of the cabinet and a rear opaque light shield blocking light transmission through the transparent panel toward the rear; vertical tubes mounted at the rear of the cabinet with the upper ends thereof at a level below the transparent panel and in a position behind said transparent panel; and a rod telescoped within each tube movable vertically to the direct rear of the transparent panel, each rod having a removable head of larger diameter than the associated tube to preclude lowering of the rod to a level beneath the transparent panel thereby normally blocking removal of the panel, and each rod being movable to beneath the level of the transparent panel upon removal of the associated head to permit retraction of the panel.

2. A display cabinet in accordance with claim 1 wherein each vertical tube has a necked upper portion of reduced internal diameter and each rod has a belled lower end adapted to wedge within the necked portion of its associated tube upon being telescoped outwardly and upwardly from the tube to a raised position.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 852,982 Simon May 7, 1907 1,990,398 Beddingfield Feb. 5, 1935 2,149,105 Simpson Feb. 28, 1939 2,495,554 Spangler Jan. 24, 1950 2,564,806 Holderle Aug. 21, 1951 

